The Unicorn School is a specialist, independent day school for children aged 7 to 16 years. They have Specific Learning Differences: dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia and Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN). As a Microsoft Showcase School, we provide accessible learning to all our learners.
We are a small, nurturing school with 120 pupils and provide specialist teaching. The school offers both primary and secondary education, including our GCSE programme, and the staff set out to bridge the gap between our pupils’ current performance and their potential achievement.
In 2019 we introduced a one-to-one device scheme for all pupils, and these are used in most lessons. Since 2022 we have been a Microsoft Showcase School, and we have a number of Microsoft Innovative Educator Experts.
Why accessible learning matters
Recent data shows that
- Approximately 17.3% of UK pupils have a special educational need (Special educational needs in England, Academic year 2022/23 – Explore education statistics – GOV.UK (explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk)
- Around 1 in 10 pupils are impacted by dyslexia (Dyslexia - British Dyslexia Association (bdadyslexia.org.uk))
- 84% of teachers said it was impossible to achieve equity in education without accessible learning tools (Teachers surveyed say accessible tech is needed now more than ever | Microsoft EDU)